A Framework for Structured Peer-to-Peer Overlay Networks

Abstract

Structured peer-to-peer overlay networks have recently emerged as good candidate
infrastructure for building novel large-scale and robust Internet applications in which
participating peers share computing resources as equals. In the past three year, various
structured peer-to-peer overlay networks have been proposed, and probably more are to
come. We present a framework for understanding, analyzing and designing structured
peer-to-peer overlay networks. The main objective of the paper is to provide practical
guidelines for the design of structured overlay networks by identifying a fundamental
element in the construction of overlay networks: the embedding of k-ary trees. Then, a
number of effective techniques for maintaining these overlay networks are discussed.
The proposed framework has been effective in the development of the DKS system.